This invention relates generally to water supply systems of the type adapted to provide potable water for use in drinking, cooking, etc. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved water supply station for convenient storage and dispensing of potable water maintained at different temperature conditions, such as at selected cold and hot temperatures.
Domestic water supply systems for residential and/or commercial uses commonly include parallel hot and cold water supply conduits for respectively providing water at different temperatures for immediate use upon appropriate opening of individual hot and cold faucet valves. These water supply conduits conventionally receive incoming feed water from a water main, wherein this feed water normally has a relatively cool ambient temperature of about 50.degree.-60.degree. F. The cold water conduit couples this feed water without heating or chilling to the cold water faucet valve for dispensing purposes. An appropriate water heater is installed in-line with the hot water supply conduit to elevate the temperature of the water flowing therethrough, typically to a heated temperature range on the order of 120.degree.-150.degree. F.
Although standard water supply systems, as described above, provide potable water at different temperatures, such systems are not designed to provide water at temperatures desirable for use directly and immediately in heated or chilled beverages. More specifically, the cold water supply normally has a temperature significantly greater than an optimum cold beverage temperature range of about 35.degree.-45.degree. F. Similarly, the hot water supply is normally set at a temperature which is sufficiently low to prevent scald injuries and further to minimize hot water heater energy requirements. However, these considerations mandate a hot water temperature significantly below a desirable temperature range of about 180.degree.-210.degree. F. for use in hot beverages such as coffee and tea. Accordingly, when hot and/or cold beverages are prepared, it has been necessary to dispense water from the water supply system and then to subject the dispensed volume of water to heating or chilling, as appropriate.
In recent years, various secondary heating devices have been proposed for use in providing hot water at an elevated temperature sufficient for use in hot beverages. Such devices have commonly included a heating element, typically of the electrical resistance type, for mounting on or near the hot or cold faucet valve of the water supply system. The heating element is intended to heat water as it is dispensed from the faucet valve. However, such devices interfere with normal dispensing of hot and cold water supplies for nonbeverage use. Moreover, such devices do not have any capability to chill dispensed water to a pleasing low temperature for use in cold beverages.
In addition, in recent years, a variety of water purification systems have been developed for residential and/or commercial use to remove contaminants of the type found in many domestic feed water supplies. Many such purification systems have utilized reverse osmosis technology to produce a supply of purified water at a relatively slow rate for storage within an appropriate reservoir ready for immediate dispensing and use. In many cases, the reverse osmosis system inclusive of the storage reservoir is sized for compact installation beneath a standard kitchen sink or the like, thereby permitting convenient in-home use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,389 describes a reverse osmosis purification system of this type wherein a compact and energy efficient thermoelectric heat transfer module is provided to chill the stored purified water to a pleasing cold beverage temperature. Accordingly, this system (U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,389 ) beneficially provides chilled purified water in addition to the normal hot and cold water supplies. However, additional provision of a purified water supply ready for hot beverage use is not contemplated.
The present invention provides an improved water supply system having compact and energy efficient means for providing chilled and heated water supplies suitable for direct beverage use, in addition to normal hot and cold water supplies for nonbeverage use. The invention is beneficially designed to be integrated with reverse osmosis purification components to provide purified chilled and heated water supplies.